Q&A: NASA engineer on historic SpaceX launch

May 07, 2012 at 2:48 PM

This is the fifth in a series of Wired Q&As with spaceflight experts leading up to SpaceX’s launch. You can read the first, second, third, and fourth parts.

We may be at the dawn of a new, private era in space.

In the near future, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will liftoff the launchpad, bringing the Dragon spacecraft to dock with the International Space Station. Until now, only the U.S., Russia, Japan, and the European Union have accomplished such a goal. If SpaceX succeeds, it will become the first private company to do so.

This week, Wired interviews experts in the spaceflight community to discuss the ways this historic launch will impact NASA and mankind’s presence in space. Is it a giant leap, or just a baby step?via Wired